Bottling-machine



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J OHN G. VATKIN, OF ST. JOHNS, MICHIGAN.

BOTTLING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 496,461, dated May 2, 1893.

Application led October 27, 1892. Serial No. 450,103.l (No model.)

.T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. WATKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Johns, in the county of Clinton and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottling-Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked there'- on, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has reference to that class of corking machines wherein two vertical fram es are made to reciprocate independently to perform two operations, one to cap the bottle for the injection of the liquor and the other to push the cork into place.

I-Ieretofore in machines of this class it has been necessary to employ two machines to perform the work of pushing a cork down and of pulling it up into the mouth of the bottle, one being provided with a downward forcing plunger, and the other with a pulling hook.

The purpose of my invention is to obviate the necessity of having more than one ma chine, by providing a removable corking device which will be more fully described hereinafter and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings-Figurel represents a front elevation of an ordinary corking machine; Fig. 2, a similar view of the same machine with a cork puller applied; Fig. 3, a detail view of the puller detached, and Fig. 4, a transverse section through the stuffing box and immediate connections.

The plunger frame comprises the vertical rods a, a horizontal rod a', at the bottom and a movable cross-head a2, at the top. The latter is provided with a threaded socket d3, for the reception of the threaded end of a plunger a4. By this means the plunger is thus removably held in place. The plunger frame is actuated by a hand lever a5 pivotally attached to the cross-rod a and provided with a counter-balance a"`,which normally holds the frame in raised position. The cross-head a2 slides up and down on vertical guide bars b, which are mounted on a suitable stand b. The cap frame is similar to the plunger frame and consists of a pair of vertical rods c, and a cross-head c', to which the cap c2 is secured. Its lower end is provided with a cross-bar c3, and spring retracted treadle d. is provided with an inlet pipe c4, and cock. c5. All of the foregoing mechanisms being well known and long used in the art do not require further description.'

The construction which enables me to dis- 6o i cient to receive an additional nut h, through 7o which a lifting rod t', passes. To the outer extremity of the support g', is hinged a rod j,which forms the fulcrum of the lever to which its upper end is hinged. This lever is of the second class and is loosely joined 75 or connected to the lifting rod z', on the lower end of which is a hook lc, to engage the customary wire loop in the cork or stopper of a bottle. The means which forms the connection for the rod and lever consist-s of a bifur-` 8o catedy head Z, a pintle Z', and nut Z2. The upper end of the nut h, is squared to receive a wrench while the remainder of its exterior is left smooth for the purpose of being more readily grasped by the hand to be quickly S5 applied to the threaded end of the cap. The upper portion of the nut h is provided with a smaller threaded opening, m', which receives a stufling box m, to prevent the escape of beer around the rod during the ll- 9o ing operation.

By using my invention only one bottling machine suchl as herein outlined, is necessary, and the operation of converting it from the pusher shown in Fig. 1 to the puller in Fig. 2 95 is as followsz-The plunger a4, is first removed by unscrewing, and the eye g, of the support g', placed over the end e, of the cap c2, and the nut f applied. The hooked rod is next passed through the cap and stuffing roo box, and the nut h, screwed down upon the threaded end e of the cap, whereupon the The cap c2,

This threaded end machine is ready to commence the operation of cork pulling or drawing. In changing the machine back to a pusher the reverse operation is performed excepting that the support g', may be left on and the lifting lever, its nut, hooked rod, and stuiling-box detached together by simply disconnecting the fulcrnni rod j, from said support.

The particular advantage of my invention is that in small establishments one machine can be made to answer the purpose of two while in large establishments one half the number of machines formerly necessary can be dispensed with.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a bottling machine, the combination with a vertically reciprocating cap frame and a cap having a threaded end, ol' a detachable lifting` or pulling device consisting of a lever, a fulcrum rod, a pulling rod attached to the lever, and a nut secured to said cap and provided with a stuffing box through which the rod passes, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination,with a vertically movable cap frame and threaded cap, a stuffing-box and nut adapted to screw upon the cap, and a lifting or pulling lever or rod arranged to pass thron gh and be removable with the stuffing box and nut, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOI-1N G. WATKIN.

Witnesses:

FRED MARSH, JOHN W. SHIPPEE. 

